(Newser)
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A militia attack on a prison in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo province of Katanga has led to nearly 1,000 prisoners escaping, reports the BBC. The militia aimed to free a leader of the group, Gedeon Kyungu Mutanga, who had been sentenced to death in 2009 for his role in the longstanding violence in eastern DR Congo. "They opened fire on the police and the military guards, killing two," said the Katanga information minister.

Police have recaptured 152 of the 967 escaped prisoners, but Mutanga remains unaccounted for. Jail-breaks are relatively common in the eastern DR Congo, a violence-torn region that is considered largely lawless.